It is proposed to investigate the mechanisms of the transformation of mechanical energy into modulations of spike trains from first-order afferents of the semicircular canal. Electrophysiological and computer analysis techniques will be used to study the statistics of nerve activity from the isolated labyrinth of the ray Rhinobatis productus. The limitations of the torsion pendulum model of the function of the semicircular canal will be evaluated from the input-output relations determined for fibers innervating different areas of the crista. Combined electrical and mechanical stimulation experiments will be performed to further elucidate the transduction in the hair cells and cupula.